diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py b/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py
index a3d7eca04b61..97da3d9b5e79 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py
@@ -177,7 +177,17 @@ def json(self, path, schema=None):
         elif type(path) == list:
             return self._df(self._jreader.json(self._sqlContext._sc._jvm.PythonUtils.toSeq(path)))
         elif isinstance(path, RDD):
-            return self._df(self._jreader.json(path._jrdd))
+            def func(iterator):
+                for x in iterator:
+                    if not isinstance(x, basestring):
+                        x = unicode(x)
+                    if isinstance(x, unicode):
+                        x = x.encode("utf-8")
+                    yield x
+            keyed = path.mapPartitions(func)
+            keyed._bypass_serializer = True
+            jrdd = keyed._jrdd.map(self._sqlContext._jvm.BytesToString())
+            return self._df(self._jreader.json(jrdd))
         else:
             raise TypeError("path can be only string or RDD")
 
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py b/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py
index 8be9d9213112..6b069844c3da 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ def test_broadcast_in_udf(self):
 
     def test_basic_functions(self):
         rdd = self.sc.parallelize(['{"foo":"bar"}', '{"foo":"baz"}'])
-        df = self.sqlCtx.jsonRDD(rdd)
+        df = self.sqlCtx.read.json(rdd)
         df.count()
         df.collect()
         df.schema
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ def test_basic_functions(self):
         df.collect()
 
     def test_apply_schema_to_row(self):
-        df = self.sqlCtx.jsonRDD(self.sc.parallelize(["""{"a":2}"""]))
+        df = self.sqlCtx.read.json(self.sc.parallelize(["""{"a":2}"""]))
         df2 = self.sqlCtx.createDataFrame(df.map(lambda x: x), df.schema)
         self.assertEqual(df.collect(), df2.collect())
 
@@ -821,7 +821,7 @@ def test_save_and_load_builder(self):
     def test_help_command(self):
         # Regression test for SPARK-5464
         rdd = self.sc.parallelize(['{"foo":"bar"}', '{"foo":"baz"}'])
-        df = self.sqlCtx.jsonRDD(rdd)
+        df = self.sqlCtx.read.json(rdd)
         # render_doc() reproduces the help() exception without printing output
         pydoc.render_doc(df)
         pydoc.render_doc(df.foo)